Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw Have Deal

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw have agreed on a seven-year, $215 million deal, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com.

Kershaw has an out clause after five years.

It is the richest deal in Major League Baseball history for a pitcher, eclipsing the seven-year, $180 million deal Detroit gave Justin Verlander last winter.

But if ever a player deserved a contract such as this, it is the 25-year old Kershaw, who has won two of the last three National League Cy Young Awards and a Roberto Clemente award for his charitable work.

Kershaw went 16-9 with a 1.83 ERA and 232 strikeouts last season, his sixth with the Dodgers. The left-hander has a 2.60 career ERA and recorded at least 212 strikeouts in each of the past four seasons.

The Dodgers offered Kershaw a deal in the range of $300 million this past season, a source with knowledge of the talks told ESPN the Magazine's Buster Olney in October. Although Kershaw initially was uncertain about committing to a deal, the sides were confident that a long-term contract would be completed at some point in the offseason, according to the source.